Soccer Mom: Unplugged

A very interesting study by the Pew Research center was released this week.  And according to the numbers, the age group that still most supports the war (by a slim 3 point differential) is the youngest cohort of 18-29 year olds.

Interestingly, while support is waning seriously across the ages ranges, the biggest gap currently in support for the Iraq war is with the 50 and up crowd.  Not surprisingly, baby boomers, are less supportive of the action, these being the folks who draft-dodged in large numbers and who came of age in the days of murky international politics.  Their wars were not clearly defined conflicts like the World Wars they'd heard about as children, but confusing and complex events darkened by confused and conflicted politicians.  That this group shows more cynicism and less faith in America is understandable if still painfully sad.

Where the Pew study gets interesting is in regards to America's rising generation.  The 18-29 year olds don't see armed conflict as the best way to create and maintain peace but they do see it as a valid way to protect American interests abroad.  They aren't sure if the military should be used to create stability in countries where governments fail and chaos ensues but the do see it as a means to provide aid to the world in times of crisis - not the world's police force rather the world's unemployment office.  They see America as a nation that must cooperate with allies but NOT through the U.N.  They also see the nation as desperately in need of a policy makeover at home. 

Their responses to the questions posed in this study may seem bipolar on many levels - paradoxical and not quite coming together in a concise package of marketable partisan policy but it does show us one or two things about the group that will ultimately lead America. Or perhaps, it only shows the utter confusion and limited understanding of youth.

Youth and War